We still have so far to go with screen resolution on desktops and laptops. While 200 dpi monitors are a huge improvement over the ridiculous 1080p or 1440p that most people still use we won't hit the zone of diminishing returns until we get near 600dpi. Yes even from a laptop viewing distance 200 dpi and 600 dpi is like night and day if you have good eyesight.
Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
891–900 of 1001 posts
Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
#892The technical details are all right (or seem right to me, anyway), but this is too opinionated for my liking. No, you do not need a 4K monitor for software development. Some people might like them, some won't. [edit/clarification: someone rightfully pointed out that nobody will actively dislike a 4K monitor. I was unclear here: I meant "some people won't need them" more than "dislike them"] This sounds like when Jeff…
I believe that like the internet (insert ironic emoji here), Al Gore started the 3 monitor trend: https://macdailynews.com/2007/05/20/al_gores_three_30_inch_a...
Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
#893I think a lot of people jumped straight to the comments here to discuss their personal opinion on ideal monitor setup.
This is a really well-written and deep article by someone who is clearly an expert. All points are well illustrated and I learned a lot about how my MacBook renders graphics from reading it.
And yeah at the end it gets into what monitor you should buy. But that wasn't the point.
Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
#894Earlier quoted context omitted.
So I'm a little nuts in that I run 2 x 27" 4K monitors side by side with no scaling. 27" is about the smallest I can tolerate 1:1 pixel sizes. Since aging has forced me into wearing reading glasses, I wear single vision computer glasses that are optimized for the distance range of my monitors' closest and furthest points. Because I dont have scaling enabled, I don't get any of the HiDpi issues that I've gotten on my…
I do the same with three but all in portrait mode.
That's an interesting idea. I should look into that when I eventually upgrade. A stubborn part of me left the monitors in landscape because I occasionally play games, but I end up never doing that on my desktop.
Because I prefer to use the same model of monitor when doing a grid, so I don't think I want to add to my existing setup, because my monitors are discontinued, and they're displayport only for 4K60.
I think they have more than a few years of life left in them, but I'll definitely look into a configuration like yours at upgrade time.
Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
#895Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, I wouldn't say having a mechanical keyboard makes your code any higher quality - that'd be pretty silly. I think in general the thought is, if you care enough about your craft that you seek out refined tools, that care will be reflected in higher-quality development. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but I'm inclined to believe there's a correlation. I mean, it would be weird to visit a professional car…
Thanks for the reply. I think there is little to no correlation, but like the opposite opinion, I've no proof other than the anecdotal: the best hackers I've known didn't care about these things. Other bizarre opinions I've read from Atwood and his followers: that you should be an excellent typist (this is also related to owning a mechanical keyboard). No. Just no. Typing speed is not the bottleneck when writing soft…
Typing speed is probably not the bottleneck but I found that since I started touch typing I get a lot less headaches because I don't have to look up and down all the time.
Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
#896Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hello! Person who actively dislikes 4k here. In my experience: 1. No matter what operating system you're on, you'll eventually run into an application that doesn't render in high dpi mode. Depending on the OS that can mean it renders tiny, or that the whole things is super ugly and pixelated (WAY worse than on a native 1080p display) 2. If the 4k screen is on your laptop, good luck ever having a decent experience plu…
> 1. No matter what operating system you're on, you'll eventually run into an application that doesn't render in high dpi mode You lost me right here on line 1. If there are apps on MacOS that can't handle high dpi mode, I haven't run into them as a developer (or doing photo editing, video editing, plus whatever other hobbies I do). Also, I don't have any trouble with plugging my highDPI MacBook into a crappy 1080p d…
Thank you for posting critical feedback. People have a tendency to defend their choices, suppressing these kinds of comments, even when valid.
Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
#897Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it's a complicated topic. IMO, there are two key criteria for monitors. Real estate and pixel density, and in some cases, you can't get both affordably. I have had 15" laptops with 4K displays for some time now. I love the pixel density. But I can't do certain types of tasks on them because I end up getting real estate anxiety. I feel so constricted on a laptop screen, even when I add a second monitor. My des…
A long time ago, resolutions got better, but when we got more pixels...we didn't make the characters smaller, we just made them more crisp. What changed? Why is the transition from 110 PPI to 220 PPI being handled differently than the one from 50 PPI to 110 PPI?
> What changed? Why is the transition from 110 PPI to 220 PPI being handled differently than the one from 50 PPI to 110 PPI?
Well that is a user setting, and I tend to think the first retina iPhone is what started the trend.
Also, at certain screen sizes, 1:1 scaling is just impractical due to limitations of the human eye.
My 27" 4K screen is pretty much at my personal limit in terms of what I can handle at 1:1 scaling for my normal viewing distance. Had I gotten a 24" 4K screen, I'd have to set the text scaling to ~125% which would also translate into some lost screen real estate.
Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
#898Earlier quoted context omitted.
1 is definitely an issue for me. It's why I actively avoid monitors with small pixels. My trusty old Dell U3011 and the two rotated 1600x1200's flanking it suit me just fine. I've no inclination to change my OS, either, just for the sake of fonts. Kudos to those commenters still on CRT displays. One complaint I have with LCD's is reset lag time, which can make it tricky to catch early BIOS messages.
> BIOS messages I think the problem is right there. You’re living in the past so you get the past’s problem. I haven’t seen a BIOS message in a decade. I’m sure those U3011 are beautiful and hard to let go (I used to have a U27) but it’s also hard to look at a low-dpi screen once you’ve seen the light
Well, my machine is about a decade old. (Many upgrades along the way, though, and holds its own just fine)
BTW what's wrong with BIOS or UEFI messages? I much prefer them to cosmetic boot graphics.
Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
#8992k (2560 x 1440) seems to be ideal for 27 in. monitors. Does anyone really find 2k insufficient on a 27 in.? And I find 1080p fine on a 24 in. monitor.
Re: Time to Upgrade Your Monitor
#900Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, I wouldn't say having a mechanical keyboard makes your code any higher quality - that'd be pretty silly. I think in general the thought is, if you care enough about your craft that you seek out refined tools, that care will be reflected in higher-quality development. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but I'm inclined to believe there's a correlation. I mean, it would be weird to visit a professional car…
Thanks for the reply. I think there is little to no correlation, but like the opposite opinion, I've no proof other than the anecdotal: the best hackers I've known didn't care about these things. Other bizarre opinions I've read from Atwood and his followers: that you should be an excellent typist (this is also related to owning a mechanical keyboard). No. Just no. Typing speed is not the bottleneck when writing soft…
I agree, but would say that in real life most of the people I know who like mechanical keyboards like them for hand strain reasons. They find them more comfortable to work with. While the code written is the same on both, that things like 4k monitors (eye strain) and mechanical keyboards (hand strain) are better for the long term health of the programmer. I've not gotten on the 4K train, but do like having my keyboard for that reason.
Multiple monitors though is purely personal preference I think. While having the documentation on another screen is something I personally find useful, if anything it probably makes me lazier about trying to remember things.